Misguided Ghosts
by EtherealWitch
Summary: Harry James Potter, The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One… has left Wizarding Britain for good. At least, that's what he thinks. Offered a position with MACUSA's New York Auror division Harry jumps at the opportunity to work with wizards who barely know a whisper of his story, a wizarding community who blissfully ignores him and a new vast country to explore.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **Harry James Potter, The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One… has left Wizarding Britain for good. At least, that's what he thinks. Offered a position with MACUSA's New York Auror division Harry jumps at the opportunity to work with wizards who barely know a whisper of his story, a wizarding community who blissfully ignores him and a new vast country to explore.

**June 4th, 2006, Brooklyn, New York.**

Harry James Potter lay in his dark bedroom in his small Brooklyn apartment. To say he overslept was an understatement, he'd been working his ass off lately to make sure that when he went on his much-needed vacation to visit back home, he'd know he'd earned it. So maybe 12 hours of sleep was a bit much? But he didn't care. He laid entangled in his comforter, face planted in his pillow with his limbs sprawled out across the bed. He could feel his orange tabby, Amber sleeping soundly in the crook of his back. She was purring happily with her legs pulled under her and her surprising heavy body was teetering on being comforting to suffocating.

Just as his dangerously droopy eyes were about to close, there was a familiar buzzing sound coming from his nightstand. Groaning, he rolled over to snatch the offensive device from the table, and in the process sent Amber tumbling onto the mattress. She gave him a reproachful look and sprinted out of his bedroom door to find a sunny spot to lounge in.

Flopping on his back and looking at his mobile, Harry sighed and flipped it open, holding it up to his ear.

"Well good morning sleepy head, it's about time you join the land of the living. Out late last night? Which lucky lady snuck out of your bed early this morning?"

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed, deciding to play along. "Well, if you truly knew me, you'd know it was two lucky ladies and they're still here so I'll just call you back later. Alright? Have a good day, Nic."

He pretended to hang up and waited for a response.

"Right, right… Well with that response I know for a fact you stayed up all night sitting in front of the television eating your weight in popcorn. So, get your ass out of bed and saunter your pretty self down the street to Jennifer's, I need a pick me up."

Nic promptly hung up without a response from Harry, leaving him with no choice but to slump out of bed and head for the loo. He stripped his clothes off, turned the wireless onto his favorite station and hopped in the shower.

Once out and dried, Harry walked into his bedroom to find some clothes for the day. He slid his closet doors open and quickly realized he needed to do laundry, the only clothes hung were some smart trousers and button downs for work. Sighing, he bent down and scooped up a t-shirt from the ground, sniffing it and promptly doing a quick scourgify. He shrugged, deeming it semi-acceptable and turned towards his dresser to scour through the drawers and found some boxers and well-loved jeans. Dressing quickly, he walked back to the loo to check his reflection. His hair was just as unruly as ever but cut in a way that it didn't take much to make it look "work appropriate" as his boss always says.

Flipping the light switch off Harry rush into the living room to grab his keys and wallet, scratching a still sulking Amber's head and telling her he'd see her later. Slipping into his trainers he stepped out his front door, made sure it was securely locked and sprinted down the hall towards the lifts.

* * *

"Ah, there's that handsome devil! I knew you couldn't deny a cup of Jennifer's lovely coffee." Nic turned towards the counters at the front of the little cafe, "Thanks, Jen! You really know how to make a cup of Joe!"

The young girl behind the counter gave him a bored expression, pointed to her name tag which read "Tara" and handed him his cup. She turned to Harry and took his order, brushing him off when he tried to apologize for Nic's continual stupid joke.

Harry grabbed his cup and headed towards the window seat Nic was currently occupying.

"You are so lame." Harry sighed setting his cup down on the table.

Nic put a hand to his chest and feigned offense, "Please, I am very much down with the kids." He did two rock n' roll salutes and stuck out his tongue.

Harry stared at him with his eyebrows raised, "Right…" He pulled the seat across from NIc out and slumped into it. "So how's the adventurous life of Nic?"

Nic smiled and sighed, "Oh, you know, boring paperwork and client meetings, stuffy lawyer stuff." He took a sip from his mug and eyed Harry, "But what I really want to talk about is you. Sooooo?"

Harry slowly sipped his coffee and raised one eyebrow, "So, what?" Intimating Nic's inflection.

"Really? Don't play coy! You are finally taking a long-earned vacation! Friday was your last day, you're finally going across the pond to visit your secretive family and friends that you refuse to tell me more than small details about, after working none stop in your also secret career that you refuse to tell me more than a limited description of. You have nothing to say about that?"

Nicoli Russo was a muggle or a no-maj as they called them over here, and Harry avoided telling him too much about himself in general. They met when Harry found himself in some legal trouble and he rung up the first law firm he found. To say he thought he'd still be talking to, moreless friends with his one-time lawyer 4 years later would be ridiculous. But Nic was a nice guy and one of Harry's only real friends he'd made here unless you counted his coworkers.

Harry looked out the window into the busy street and thought about what to say, "I mean, I'm looking forward to it. But it feels a bit weird, I haven't seen any of them in 5 years. What the hell do you say to someone after so long?"

"Well, you could start off by saying hello, that is usually is a good start." Nic smiled and folded his arms over his chest. "But really, what is the big deal? You've kept in touch, haven't you? It's not like you've been completely out of their lives, I'm sure everything will fall back into place once the tension wears off."

The bell on the door rang and a small group of giggling teenage girls bumbled up to the front counter, ordering their drinks loudly and all at once. Tara looked up with an aggravated expression and not so kindly told them to order one at a time.

Harry smirked and turned back to Nic, nodding and leaned back in his seat, "I suppose you're right, I've just never done this before. I feel like I'm just turning back up in their lives and disrupting their flow. I know they've changed, hell I've changed! What if everything is completely different? I don't know if I can handle that."

"Are you more worried about everyone or a certain someone?" He waggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner while finishing off his coffee.

Harry rolled his eyes and gulped his coffee down. Pulling out his wallet, he tossed some dollar bills on the table and waved off Nic's half of the tip he tried stuffing in his hands. Waving goodbye to Tara he and Nic trooped outside into the bustling city.

Harry knew exactly who Nic was alluding to, he'd told him a little bit about everyone back home but he'd let slip more than his sober mind would normally be comfortable with once while he was hammered out of his mind after celebrating closing one of the biggest cases of his career so far.

"I mean, yeah, I'm really worried about seeing her. We left things kind of weird, we never really "got back" together after the first break up but we still flirted and messed around a bit. Then I got this job offer here and I had to leave pretty quickly. We haven't spoken much, I've written a few letters to her and her to me but you can tell things are different. We're different." He looked up the street and watched as people mingled and bustled through the city. Today was Sunday so the city was loud, crowded and everyone was out trying to enjoy the summer weather.

Nic people watched for a while and finally said, "Even if it's different, even if you both are completely new people, it's worth it to go back. You obviously care about these people since you protect them so deeply, so don't overthink it and just let things happen naturally."

Sexyback began playing loudly from Nic's pocket and he fumbled with his mobile, quickly checking the caller ID and flipping it open.

"Hello darling, I hope you are doing well." He smirked up at Harry and rocked on the balls of his feet.

Harry chuckled, turning to give Nic some privacy and continued to watch the crowds around them. He thought about the certain girl they'd just been discussing, Ginny, he'd not really let himself think about her too much if he was being honest. Last he'd heard from Hermione, she was in a relationship and was seeming quite happy. But if he went with Ron's description of the relationship he'd say that it was "going to sink at any moment, don't worry, mate!"

If he was being honest with himself, he was extremely jealous that Ginny had seemingly moved on so easily. Once he'd gotten word he was being transferred internationally he knew that their relationship was never going to become anything serious. Since the battle and school, they'd stayed friends and occasionally messed around but nothing had ever been like it was in his 6th year. Then he was shipped off to America and their romantic relationship seemingly sailed off into the Bermuda Triangle and disappeared.

Sighing Harry ran his hand through his hair, making it even more unruly. He leaned against the brick building and turned back into Nic's discussion on his mobile.

"Of course! I would love to join you on a romantic international vacation, I must have been a very good boy to have earned this." Nic looked over at Harry, gave him a thumbs up and smiled, blushing slightly.

Harry smirked feeling happy for his friend, who seemed to be speaking to his long-term boyfriend Liam, who was an Olympic swimmer and up and coming model.

"Alright, darling, I am here with Harry. Yes, the one with the beautiful eyes." Harry rolled his eyes and Nic laughed, "I will see you at 6:00 sharp for our reservations and we can discuss our travel plans. I love you, okay, goodbye."

He smiled while still blushing, depositing his phone into his pocket and looking over to harry. "Liam says hi and that he will still accept your answer on his proposal. Although I suspect this surprise vacation might finally be the proposal I've been waiting for! Maybe we could do a joint marriage? I don't mind sharing, polygamy has always been an interesting pursuit…" he began walking back towards Harry's building, weaving through crowds in an expert fashion only a veteran New Yorker could pull off.

"So where is this romantic getaway?" Harry managed to keep up only because he had longer legs and a wider stride but nearly knocked into a street vendor while trying to avoid a group of seniors excitedly taking pictures of a stray cat lounging on a stoop.

"We'll be spending a few weeks in Italy and maybe move on to France, I need to brush up on my Italian. My Nonna is probably weeping in her grave because I've stopped practicing our native tongue." He chuckled but had a look of guilt on his face.

They said their farewells once they'd reached Harry's building, Harry promised he'll keep in touch while he's back in Britain and requested that Nic keep him in the loop for any possible wedding bells in the future. Once in his apartment, Harry went into his closet and pulled out his dusty suitcase and started the agonizing process of packing; hoping with all hope that he could get through this vacation without his "chest monster" making an appearance.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note: **Hello all! I wanted to put an authors note on my last chapter but I'm still new and wasn't sure how to update it! Haha Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has favorited and followed my story so far, it really means a lot!

This chapter is more of an info dump, to catch up on what everyone was doing directly after the war and until present day. I hope you enjoy!

**June 4th, 2006, Holyhead, Wales.**

Ginevra Molly Weasley sat in the locker room of the Holyhead Harpies training grounds. Sweaty, tired and ready for her mini vacation back home.

Finally deciding that she couldn't put it off any longer, she began peeling off her sweaty training gear and grabbed her towel and wand before heading off to the showers.

She magicked the shower on and placed her towel and wand down on the bench just outside the stall. Sticking her hand in through the curtain to check the water temperature, deeming it acceptable she quickly hopped in.

Once under the cascading water she let out a sigh of relief, feeling the tension of the last week ebbing away. One might assume that she was stressed from her crazy Quidditch lifestyle? No, in fact, Ginny felt exhilarated in this lifestyle. She would live, breath, eat Quidditch if possible. (Her mother would argue she does, which is a constant argument between the two.) Nope, the reason Ginny was feeling so under pressure and stressed was a certain wizard coming back to town; a certain green-eyed, raven-haired wizard she had been trying to not think about.

Ginny picked up the shampoo and began lathering her hair up and thought back to a few weeks ago when she found out Harry was coming home during the Weasley Sunday Roast.

* * *

"Mum, did we tell you? Harry is planning to visit this summer." Ron said through a mouth full of mashed potatoes and roast.

Molly gave him a look that only a mother could conjurer up that clearly said "Don't eat with your mouth full." and gasped, "Harry? Why did no one tell me this earlier? We must plan a party for him, his birthday's coming up!" she gave Ron and Hermione a pointed look as she passed the rolls around.

Ron gulped down his bite he'd just stuffed in his mouth, "Well, we only just found out didn't we? Hermione received his owl confirming the dates just before she left the office. He looked towards said girlfriend and gave her an expectant look.

Hermione placed her fork on her plate and turned towards the group, "Yes, we've been bugging him for months to visit and he finally agreed; said he could work double to get the vacation time." She glanced at Ginny who gave her an affronted look, quirking her eyebrow.

"Personally I think they overwork their Aurors there, isn't America all about freedom?" Ron chuckled, "Harry's a slave, I can't see why he wanted to take Robards offer."

Molly glanced between the three and then looked to her husband, "Well, either way, we're all ecstatic to finally get some time with him."

Arthur smiled at his wife and nodded, "Let Harry know that if he needs a place to sleep, the Burrow will always be open. It will always be his home." He wiped his mouth with a napkin and excused himself to the loo.

At that everyone began discussing the last Quidditch match between the Cuddley Cannons and Kenmare Kestrels, which would usually render Ginny interested but she was still stuck on the last topic of discussion.

Harry bloody Potter was still able to make her stomach flutter when even a whisper of him was mentioned; and while Ginny knew this meant something more, should couldn't let herself think about that.

When Harry left Ginny was shattered but of course, she was an idiot who just let the love of her life walk out without a fight. They never officially discussed their relationship after the war, but everything was in shambles... how could they? Harry immediately threw himself into helping rebuild Hogwarts and then straight into the academy, without even a second to think of himself. The bloody noble prat, he worked himself to death and after a few years of this, he was absolutely spent. The press was all over him like hounds and the community still expected Harry to single-handedly heal the wounds left by Voldemort. Robards offered him a chance to get away from the madness and he took the opportunity.

She couldn't blame him, after the war she found herself struggling with Fred's death. She couldn't stay at home much because that was where her mother and father were and seeing their tear-streaked faces every day nearly tore her apart.

But the worst of it all was George, she couldn't bear to see him in this state. He was like a ghost of himself like he'd died along with Fred that day. Some days he would hold himself up in his room, refusing to talk to anyone. Then others he would go out to the pub and get absolutely pissed, not coming home for days and doing Merlin knows what.

Ginny would find herself wandering around like in a dream. She would go to the orchard behind the Burrow and practice flying and Quidditch maneuvers; these were some of the only happy moments from this time.

She would often walk to Luna's and would spend days there enjoying a break from her new life and venturing into Luna's interesting one.

Ron and Hermione wanted to help with rebuilding Hogwarts, but Hermione couldn't go another day without restoring her parents memories. After discussing it with Harry and deciding that Ron and Hermione would go find her parents while Harry stayed to help. Her parents decided to stay in Australia as they had built an entirely new business and life there; Hermione was devastated but accepted and soon returned home.

Once Hogwarts was fit to start a new school year Ginny and Hermione went off for their final year. Ron decided to open Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes in Georges absence; which he eventually took over Fred's position. Something George was immensely grateful for, he was terrified of continuing alone.

That left Harry to himself and the beginning of him drifting further away from his beloved friends without any of them realizing.

* * *

Once her hair and body were rinsed, Ginny rung out her hair, wrapped her towel around her and headed for her locker so she could get dressed.

As she turned the corner she noticed a beautiful Barn Owl waiting for her in front of her locker, "Hello Prim, got a letter for me?" Taking the letter from her leg, Prim nibbled Ginny affectionately and flew off. Ginny looked down and opened the letter.

_Dear Ginny,_

_Hope you are doing well, we've missed you at Sunday dinners but I understand this season has been extra demanding._

_Are you still planning to return home by Monday night? _

_Harry plans to arrive early Wednesday morning after leaving New York around 6 Monday night. Shame he couldn't get better portkey times, he's going to be exhausted after all that travel. _

_We aren't sure where Harry is staying yet, he seems to be between Grimmauld and ours. I understand if this makes staying with us difficult, but if we are expecting more than one guest we'd like to prepare so please send a reply when you decide._

_Lots of love,_

_Hermione._

_P.s. Ron says you better stay with us, he misses his superstar sister._

Ginny rolled the letter back up, "What the bloody hell does that mean?" she huffed out loudly.

"Sorry, what does what mean?"

Ginny whipped around to see her teammate Amelia Davies stripping her training gear off, how did she not see her there?

"Sorry, my sister-in-law is being a prat." She held up the letter, stuffing it into her bag and pulling her clothes out.

Amelia tossed her sweaty gear into a hamper, which immediately vanished down to the house-elves in the basement who did all the laundry and cleaning.

"Your brother and Hermione got married?" she asked as she headed for the showers, "I had no idea! How did they manage to hide that from the press?"

Ginny pulled her hoodie over her head and laughed, "Oh, no they haven't. But she's basically part of the family already, we all know they're gonna tie the knot any day now." she hitched her bag over one shoulder and secured her locker.

Amelia smirked, "We all know they've been acting like an old married couple since they were 12. Poor Harry had to be in the middle of it, hey, hope you have a good break. I'm gonna go shower, I reek." With that she sauntered around the corner, blowing a kiss to Ginny.

"You too!" She called after her and headed off for the apparition point, stopping to grab some dinner from her favorite pizza place and walking the rest of the way home.

* * *

Once home she dropped her bag at the door and headed straight for the sofa, plopping down and digging into the pizza. Halfway through her third slice, she heard a knock at the door. Groaning, she placed the slice in the box and dragged herself to the door.

leaning in her doorway was Arlo Easton, tall, Caramel hair and steel blue eyes. He smiled handsomely down at her, "Was hoping you'd enjoy some company after your long week of training." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Ginny smiled coyly at him and moved aside, allowing him to walk past. As he did she pinched his butt cheek, quickly running off towards her room squealing and giggling.

They spent the evening in bed and made up for the week they hadn't seen each other, eventually moving to the sofa where they finished off the pizza and watched some telly.

Ginny glanced up at Arlo as he laughed at the program they were watching, knowing she should get to bed to prepare for her travels back home tomorrow but wanting to savor this moment. She snuggled into his chest, closing her eyes and let all the foreboding thoughts from previously in the day drift peacefully from her mind.


End file.
